In many computer and video games, participants may navigate game characters through game maps to explore environments, interact with other characters, discover items, or perform other tasks. As these participants play the game, their characters may acquire different items or rewards, some of which may be stored in an inventory. For example, characters may acquire points, health, weapons, tools, resources, or other items. Some of these acquired items may provide the character with an advantage during game play, such as a more powerful weapon to cause more damage, while others may be necessary to progress in the game, such as a key to open a door.
In single player games, a participant typically finds or receives an item, uses and/or the stores the item in inventory, and then discards the item when it has been used up or is no longer as useful for the player. However, in social multiplayer games in which multiple people agree to play a game together, it may be desirable to provide rewards and opportunities for participants to share items amongst themselves to encourage cooperation and communication between participants as part of the game play.
There is a need for improved item sharing functionality in multi-participant gaming applications.